Stephenson Named MWC Special Teams Player of the Week

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – BYU's Riley Stephenson earned Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors Monday for his performance in the Cougars' victory over Washington Saturday night.

The sophomore punter/kicker helped BYU control the field-position battle in the Cougars’ 23-17 win, making the Huskies start inside the 15-yard line on three of six punts and inside the 20 on three of five kickoffs.

Stephenson averaged 44.3 yards on three of his punts and placed the Huskies at the 1, 12 and 14 yard lines on the other three punts. His longest punt of the day was 47 yards. Overall, he averaged 37.2 yards on six punts.

While kicking off, the St. George, Utah, native helped BYU limit Washington to an average of 6.7 return yards with Huskie drives starting at the 2, 7 and 16 yard lines. Stephenson’s two other kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

DeVonte Christopher of Utah garnered the MWC Offensive Player award while teammate Brian Blechen received MWC Defensive recognition for their play in the Utes' overtime win over Pittsburgh.

This marks the first-ever player of the week honor for all three individuals.